Life-saving tour to S.A. criticised

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33425, 5 January 1974, Page 12

Life-saving tour to S.A. criticised

The New Zealand Surf Life Saving Association had turned its back on a proud record of humanitarian concern, the organiser of the Christchurch Committee on Southern Africa (Mrs Jill Basher) said yesterday.

She said that by sending a team to compete in apartheid sport in South Africa the association had jettisoned its claim for public support. The association had promised to withdraw its team from the life-saving congress in Durban this month if there was any hint of racial discrimination. Mrs Basher claimed that this was like sending a delegation to Church to hear if God was mentioned. She said that the agenda for the tournament included three competitive tests but the South African side was not being selected on the basis of equal competition between black and white. Even the beach on which the tests would be held was reserved for whites. “It is a timely, although tragic, reminder of the situation of South African sport that Mr Naidoo president of the non-racial Amateur Swimming Federation has been placed under a banning order so his words cannot be quoted,” said Mrs Basher. “He had pointed out that blacks were not given a fair

chance in life-saving in his > country. For national competitions the races had to com-■ pete separately and even the prizes were distributed at different dinners. The life-saving association gets public money through appeals and a Government subsidy’ by way of the Water Safety Council, but it is not prepared to shoulder its responsibility to the public. “Both the Auckland and the Canterbury branches of the association had opposed the tour, recognising that the supposed benefits would not equal the loss in public standing that would follow participation,” said Mrs Basher. “Either way the association betrays itself. It partici-j pates and finds, as it can | hardly avoid finding, discrimination, and public money will be needed to get; competitors back. “If it participates and finds no discrimination then its credibility will be sorely (tested and its community record tarnished.”